Apparatus for converting continuous filaments into products containing staple fibers



A. M GILL ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS INTO PRODUCTS CONTAINING STAPLE FIBERS Filed July 23, 1937 ATTORNEYS "Patented I APPARATUS FOR PATENT oFFIcEj OUS FILAMENTS INTO PRODUCTS CON Y TINING STAPLE FIBERS Alexander HcGill and Taylor, Spondon,

near

aware This inventionflrelates to theconversion of continuous filaments directly into products containing'staple fibers. 7 4

U. 8. Patents Nos, 2,077,078 and 2,077,079, de-

6 scribeithe conversion. ofcontinuous filaments into products containing staple fibers by causing a bundle of continuous filaments to pass in contact with a cutting surface moving in the same general direction as the. filaments but at a different speed 10 therefrom andpressing the filaments substantially at a point in their length against the cutting surface. The filaments, as is indicated in U. 8.

Patent No. 2,077,078; may be passed more than once through 'a device comprising a cutting surface adapted to be actuated as indicated above (hereinafter referred to as a "cutting device") or in a single operation they. may be subjected to the action of two or more cutting devices in turn.

According to the present invention a bundle of continuous filaments is passed through two cutting devices in'tu'rn; the cutting surface of. the first device moving at a speed lower than that of the filaments and the second at a speed greater than that of the filaments. By the use of the two 25 devices greater control is obtained over the-lengths of the fibers in the product and in particular the Y retention in the products of exceptionally long fibers is avoided.. Duringgthe subjection of the bundle to the cutting action of the second device,

801. e. the devicehaving' greater speed of cutting surface than the filament speed, twist may be inserted in the bundle as an aid in the controlling of the frequency of cut and. also to impart strength to theproduct.- .A preferred form of 84 cutting device comprises a roller having a fluted surface operating in conjunction with ,a noncutting pressing roller, pressure exerted by one roller against the other enabling the fiutes of the cutting surface to havethe required cutting action 40 on-the filaments in the bundle. The bundle of filaments. to be treated may contain little or no twist. If.desired,'however, the bundle may conwith reference to the accompanying drawing, in

which Fig. 1 isa diagrammatic side elevation of one forin of apparatus for carrying out the invention; and t 1 Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the other form of apparatus for carrying out the in-. v m

' England, assignorslto Oelan Corporation of Amer-lea, a corporation of Delapplication my 23, 1936, sem 170,155,200

. In Great mum A st r. 1936 v 13 Claims. ('01. 111-1) As is shown in Fig. 1 a bundle of filaments I is drawn from a source ofsupply through a guide 2, thence first through one cutting device comprising a pair of rollers 3, 4 and thence through an-- other cutting device comprising a pair of rollers 5, 6. The lower-rollers; and 5 are mounted on driven shafts 1, 8, while the upper rollers 4 and 6 are carried in slotted bearings 9, I 0. The bundle of filaments issues from the nip of the second .pair of rollers 5, 0 in the form of .a continuous staple-fiber product II which passes through a pair of gripping rollers l2, l3 and thence to the balloon guide l4 of a cap spinning device l5 by means of which-the filamentary product H is twisted and collected as a yarn. The gripping l6 rollers i2, ll (of which the roller I2 is mountedv on a driven shaft l8) serve to draw the staple fiber product through and from the two cutting devices,- and the'three shafts 1-, Band l6 aredriven at such rates that the peripheral speed of the gripping'rollers; l2, I3 is greater than that of the rollers 3, 4 and'less than that of the rollers '5, 6. Preferably the gripping rollersare driven at about -2-2% times the speed of the first cutting rollers and the second cutting rollers at about 2-2 5 times the speed of the gripping rollers.

The rollers 4 and 6 are so weighted as to exert thedesired pressure upon the filaments in the hips between the-pair of rollers .3, 4 and the pair of rollers 5,-8,"and suitableweights or springs are employed to causethe gripping roller II to press against the driven gripping roller and grip thev filaments firmly. The rollers 3 and I are provided with sharp edged helical fiutes whicluunder the pressure applied 'by the rollers 4 and 6, serve to sever the filaments as the filaments pass through the nips, while the rollers 4 and 0 have a surface in the form of a smooth, metal sleeve which may be mounted ona' body of sponge rubber. The

gripping roller i2 is also fluted, the flutes in this .40 case being freefromsharp edgw and parallel to the axisoi'the roller while the roller i3 has a surface of rubber.

In the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 2 the gripping rollers II, II are disposed between the two cutting devices constituted by the rollers 3,

4 and I, I. Here the gripping rollers serve to draw the continuous filament bundle I from the 1 source of supply and-through the guide 2 and through the first. cutting device 0, 4, the second cutting device I, 6 drawing the filaments from the gripping rollers l2, I! through .a guide l7, and

delivering the staple fiberjproduct ll directly to the guide of the cap. spinning device It In this form of apparatus the twist imparted by the,

cap spinning device I5 is permitted to run back into the-nip of the second cutting device. This assistsin controlling the frequency-of the cutting and further imparts strength to the product passing through the second cutting device.

In this case also a convenient speed ratio for the rollers is theratio of 22 between the first pair of rollers and the gripping rollers'and 212% between the gripping rollers and the second cutting device,-the peripheral speeds in this instance increasing successively from the cutting device to gripping rollers and then to cutting device.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Method of producing a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, comprising passing the bundle of continuous filaments in contact with two cutting surfaces in turn, pressing the filaments against each of said cutting surfaces and moving the first of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed less than that of the filaments and the second cutting surface at a linear speed greater than that of the filaments.

2. Method of producing a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, comprising passing the bundle of continuous filaments in contact with two cutting surfaces in turn, pressing the filaments against each of said cutting surfaces, moving the first of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed less than that of the filaments and the second cutting surface at a linear speed greater than that of the filaments, and inserting twist in the bundle of filaments during the subjection of the bundle to the cutting action of the faster moving cutting surface.

3. Method of producing a continuous staple fiber product .from a bundle of continuous filaments, comprising passing the bundle of continuous filaments in contact with two cutting surfaces in turn, pressing the filaments against each of said cutting surfaces, moving the first of said cutting surfaces at a linearspeed less than that of the filaments and the second cuttingsurface at a linear speed greater than that of the filaments, and'submitting the continuous staple fiber product leaving the second cutting surface to a twisting and winding operation.

4. .Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each having a moving cutting surface and means for pressing the bundle of filaments.

against said cutting surface, means for drawing the bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn and means for moving the first of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed lower than that of the filaments and the second of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed greater than that of the filaments. I

5. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices, each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface, and means for pressing said rollers together so as to press a bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of filaments through said pairs ofrollers in turn, and means for (Living a cutting roller in the first pair of rollers at a peripheral speed less than the speed-of the filaments and a cutting roller in the second pair of rollers at a peripheral staple fiber product-from a bundle of continuous cutting device at a greater peripheral'speed than said gripping rollers.

7. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, saidapparatus comprising two cutting devices, each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface, and means for pressing said rollers together so as to press a bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers adapted to draw a bundle .of filaments through both of said cutting devices in turn, and means for driving a cutting roller in the first of said cutting devices at a less peripheralspeed than said gripping rollers and a cutting roller, in the second cutting device at a greater peripheral speed than said gripping rollers. I

8. Apparatus for theproduction of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices, each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface, and means for pressing/said rollers together so as to press a, bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers disposed between said cutting devices and adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through i one of said cutting devices and to forward it to the other of said cutting devices, and means for driving a cutting roller in the firstof said cutting devices at a less peripheral speed than said gripping rollers and a cutting roller in the second cutting device at a greater peripheral speed than said gripping rollers.

9. Apparatus for. the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a bundleof continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting rollers adapted to draw abundle of filaments through both of said cutting devices in turn, means for driving a cutting roller in the first of said cutting devices at a less peripheral speed than said gripping rollers and a cutting roller in the second cutting device at a greaterperipheral speed than said gripping rollers, and a twisting and winding device adapted to collect the continuous'staple fiber product coming from said gripping rollers.

10. Apparatus for the production of a continu- -.ous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface, and means for. pressing said rollers together so as to press a bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers disposed between said cutting devices and adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through one of said cutting. devices and to forward it to the other of said cutting devices, means for driving, a'cutting roller in the first of said cutting devices at a less peripheral speed than said grip- 11. Apparatus for the production of acontinuous staple fiber product from a bundle ofcontinuous filaments, said apparatus compris'ing'twov cutting devices each having a moving cutting surface provided with sharp-edged flutes disposed at an angle to the direction of motion of said surface, and means for pressing the bundle of filaments against said cutting surface, means for drawing the bundle of filaments through said cutting devices in turn and means for moving the first of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed lower than that of the filaments and the second of said cutting surfaces at a linear speed greater than that of the filaments.

12. Apparatus for the production of a continuous staple fiber product from a-bundle of continuous; filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices, each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface having sharp-edged helicalfiutes, and means for pressing said rollers together so as to press a. bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through both of said cutting devices in turn means for driving a cutting roller in'the first of said cutting devices at a less peripheral speed than said gripping rollers and a cutting roller in the second cutting device at a greater peripheral speed than said gripping rollers, and a twisting and winding device adapted to collect the continuousstaple fiber product coming from said gripping rollers.

13. Apparatus for the production of a continu ous staple fiber product from a bundle of continuous filaments, said apparatus comprising two cutting devices each having a pair of rollers one at least of which has a cutting surface having.

sharp-edged helical fiutes, and means for pressing said rollers together so as .to press a bundle of filaments passing between said rollers against said cutting surface, a pair of gripping rollers disposed between said cutting devices and adapted to draw a bundle of filaments through one of said cutting devices and to forward it to the other of said cutting devices, means for driving a cutting roller in the first'of said cutting devices at a less peripheral speed than said gripping rollers and a cutting roller in the secondcutting device at a greater peripheral speed than said gripping rollers, and a twisting and winding device adapted to collect the continuous staple fiber product coming from the second of said cutting devices.

' ALEXANDER MCGIIL.

HARRY TAYLOR. 

